Posted by Ptown native
a resident of Stoneridge
on Sep 26, 2012 at 8:39 am

People think America is a Democracy...
A Democracy is where the Govt is in charge of the people.
We are a Republic!...a Republic is where the PEOPLE are
in charge of the govt. Democrats want the Govt to be in
charge of their every need. So they vote for Democrats.
Democrats need taxes taxes taxes!!!!! Those taxes drive
business out! They are voting FOR the problem! It's
mind-boggling how these people don't understand they ARE
the problem. They are being duped! It's so sad how many
ignorant people there are. Bye bye 1000 jobs!!!!

If you own a business in California, it is just assumed that you are doing something illegal. The mission of the agencies and boards is just to find out what law you are breaking. Expect your weekly visits from the Board of Equalization, CalOSHA (as if OSHA can't handle the vast amount of illegality), the BAAQMD, the California DTSC, the local Fire Dept, and a host of Federal agencies on top of that. What really pisses me off is the leaders of the giant corporations like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon who move their jobs overseas and then vote for Democrats like Obummer.
Chemist

Posted by Jimbo
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 9:24 am

The problem with Gov moonbeam wanting to raise taxes to line the pockets of his pals in SEIU and the CTA is that (for now) business and individuals have freedom of choice. They can move. Can't blame Comcast. The thing liberals don't understand is people ALWAYS act in their own self interest. That is why collectivism ALWAYS fails. No one will sweat and toil for the interest of others for long. When you heap tax increase upon tax increase on the people who actually produce, they begin to lose their incentive to produce, or look for an alternative that is not so...taxing. WAKE UP California. How many companies and productive people have to move out of this state before you get the memo?

Posted by Comcast user
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 10:03 am

CA labor rates are too high to do any business that can be done elsewhere. This move is really too bad. I had to go to Livermore Comcast 2 weeks ago. There were lines of people with assorted service issues...drop off, pick up equipment, etc. I really hate Comcast internet.

Posted by jimf01
a resident of another community
on Sep 26, 2012 at 10:12 amjimf01 is a registered user.

Directing the anger at Gov Brown is wrong. Brown is a pawn of the Democrats in the legislature.

What voters need to remember today is that the Democrats are just a few seats away from a 2/3 SUPER majority in the state Senate and Assembly. If they gain those seats in the November election, they will be able to vote and pass any budget, any regulation, any TAX, and Republicans will be utterly powerless to stop them. Gov Brown will be utterly powerless to stop them.

Forget Prop 30, the Dems will just pass their own tax increase. And the voters will have no say.

Did you know that the Governor doesn't even have to sign in order for a bill passed by the legislature to become law? In California, a bill becomes law automatically after 30 days.

Vote the Democrats out in November, or California will continue down the path of tax and spend, we WILL become Greece here in the US.

Posted by Stacey
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Sep 26, 2012 at 10:15 amStacey is a registered user.

Jimbo wrote: "When you heap tax increase upon tax increase on the people who actually produce, they begin to lose their incentive to produce, or look for an alternative that is not so...taxing."

That's just the narrative sold to you by a certain party. Business decisions are usually not made prevalent upon tax increases and the article says nothing about what is included in the "cost of doing business" in California. And you don't even say what kind of tax you're referring to. I mean, come on, some of the jobs are moving to another state with one of the highest income taxes?

Posted by GX
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 10:26 am

Stacey - I urge you to speak with more people to broaden your perspective. Tax rates do have a powerful influence on companies and individuals.

A few years ago when I was working 70-80 hours a week pulling in more money than I needed, I realized that by marginal tax rate about 50% and my total tax rate was 37%. I decided it wasn't worth the trade-off to work so much but only bring home 50% of my efforts.

So I changed course. Today my income is less but that is OK given the savings I built up. It is the government and government funded programs that are losing out. My tax bill has gone way down.

We all have choices and the cost of doing business (tax rates, energy rates, government compliance costs, etc.) do affect those choices.

Posted by Stacey
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Sep 26, 2012 at 10:40 amStacey is a registered user.

GX,

Yes, tax rates can have such an influence. I've considered the same thing myself when looking at our annual household income. Yet I'm referring to taxes on businesses and whether that really affects business decisions. A lot of taxes that businesses pay are actually deductible as business expenses. A business doesn't operate according to taxes. Businesses want to grow and expand to reach new customers.

Posted by GX
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 10:51 am

I'll respectfully disagree. Effective tax rates (just like other costs of doing business) have a significant impact on the footprint of businesses. Companies often times go out of their way to distort their operations to take advantage of tax incentives. I know this first hand.

If you have the chance, speak to a senior executive at any number of companies in the area and you will appreciate this point more.

The cost of doing business in CA is too high relative to other states/countries and this is affecting companies' decision just like Comcast.

Posted by GX
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 10:54 am

One more point. Ultimately, companies like Comcast will choose to serve their customers in the best, most cost effective way possible. Given the choice of providing the same effective service from a more expensive CA-based center vs. a lower cost no-CA-based center, they will usually choose the later ... like they did.

Posted by Stacey
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Sep 26, 2012 at 11:03 amStacey is a registered user.

GX,

Heh, but I have spoken with a senior executive at one of the companies in the area about this very matter, one with long years of experience. You mentioned taking advantage of tax incentives and to me you're echoing my point about taxes that are deductible as business expenses.

Posted by to stacey
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 11:27 am

Stacey wrote: "A lot of taxes that businesses pay are actually deductible as business expenses."

Just because something is deductible doesn't mean it isn't also a cost. I agree with you that business wants to grow and expand. One way they can achieve that goal is to free up capital by relocating to less tax burdensome/expensive/regulated states. For some companies it is a matter of survival, not growth, that is driving the decision to relocate/not relocate. There are a slew of states actively trying to recruit CA businesses for those very reasons.

Posted by GX
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 11:35 am

I support companies that offer the best product and/or service at the most competitive price. That is the way it should ... its called capitalism and has proven over and over again to be the best economic system to raise the boats of all.

Favoring a potentially inferior company simply because they match your political agenda does do you or them any good. Think of all those years in the 70s/80s where we wer told to buy american cars because it was patriotic. All this did was enable inefficent operations to last longer and delay their much needed day of reckoning.

Stacey - believe what you want and filter what you want but know that most if not all large silicon vally companies have distorted footprints in Europe to take advantage of the tax differences. I know - I was a senior exective of one of these companies and took part in the decision process.

Having something be deductable eliminates only a portion of that cost. Assuming your marginal business tax rate is 35%, 65% of CA's higher corporate rate is still higher than corporate tax rates of other states.

And remember that tax rates are only one component of the cost of doing business.

Posted by Hilarious...
a resident of Downtown
on Sep 26, 2012 at 11:52 am

This is absolutely hilarious reading that businesses don't mind paying more taxes because it's a tax deduction ... listen to yourselves, does this make any sense at ALL... who is educating these people?

I'm telling you after watching my third child graduate from a California University and hearing the same crap over and over... "Capitalism is the root of all evil" and everything a business does is to screw you ... it doesn't surprise me ... it's the best diversion tactic I have ever seen ... while the government is taking everything you have, including your FREEDOM... Wake up you morons, before the only business left in California is printing picket signs ...

Posted by Stacey
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Sep 26, 2012 at 11:55 amStacey is a registered user.

GX,

I don't doubt that companies distort their operations based on tax differences. Look at how well GE has developed their large department of ex-IRS tax experts devoted to studying and taking every tax loophole and incentive.

What I'm challenging is the political narrative expressed by Jimbo that the cause of companies such as Comcast closing up shop locally has to do with taxes. Oregon, one of the states listed as gaining what California is losing, is far from being a low-tax state. Someone else above hit the nail on the head: higher labor costs. If a company needs more employees in order to continue to provide the best service to its customers and it can hire more employees in another state for roughly the same cost as a smaller number of employees in this state, that has nothing to do with the taxes.

Posted by Hilarious...
a resident of Downtown
on Sep 26, 2012 at 12:28 pm

You know something else, I have run many businesses and my primary concern was to gain and keep HAPPY customers or you are toast! Managing expenses , taxes and government regulations is important, but only if you have lots of HAPPY customers... I have also worked in government and I NEVER worried about HAPPY customers, I only worried about keeping my job and making sure I met the retirement requirements... which one do you think would be better in building a strong USA?

Posted by GX
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 12:33 pm

Stacey - I understand and appreciate your point. We are all guessing with regards to the reasons for Comcast's relocation. Labor cost may be more or less - I don't know.

I do know that Oregon corporate state taxes are about 25% less than CA (I have a small business that I can operate anywhere and am currently considering a move). And I do know that energy costs are lower in Oregon, along with many other living expenses like insurance, etc. BTW, Oregon is not on the top of my list - there are better options that both CA and Oregon.

And I do know that the "cost of doing business" has a significant influence on my decision. If CA were serious about turning things around, they would look at things from a business' perspective and strive to create an economic environment more attractive to businesses.

Instead they are drafting off of the legacy of silicon valley by trying to put in place and even more progressive and risky tax system to fund the current inefficient and entitlement heavy government system.

This may/may not work for a few years, but it too will fail during the next downturn. A system like this always does.

Posted by Stacey
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Sep 26, 2012 at 1:25 pmStacey is a registered user.

GX,

Yep, the lower costs of modern telecommunications and logistics enabled businesses to have more options on location while still being able to meet the needs of their local markets. Call centers are a prime example of that. I too appreciate this discussion with you.

Posted by Hilarious...
a resident of Downtown
on Sep 26, 2012 at 1:38 pm

That's really hilarious... so now the it's no longer the fault of the California tax or regulatory environment it's JUST more EFFICIENT to consolidate OUTSIDE of California... I am laughing my A$$ off at how politicians think they can spin something and everyone of us Morons takes it "hook line & sinker" ... if California really knew how "Crony Capitalism" worked Comcast would consolidate here!!! ... they don't even know how to do "Crony Capitalism" right, totally incompetent at even being corrupt EFFICIENTLY .... Geeeeeeeze ....

Given how Romney has run such a superb campaign thusfar, it's only safe to assume that he will do an equally superb job of running the country as president. I'd vote for him, but I was on public assistance for a few months back when I had my first child. Since I don't count on the Republican ledger, Romney won't get my vote.

Posted by Hilarious,,,
a resident of Downtown
on Sep 26, 2012 at 3:54 pm

Tish ... That's Hilarious ... I heard the same thing on SNL, John Stewart, The View, MSNBC, The Colbert Report ... I am on public assistance as well and watch a lot of TV and that's where I get my information... It's Hilarious...

Stacey, etc.
It is not only taxes that are driving businesses out of California: so also are the thousands of pages of regulations and the hundreds of useless boards and agencies that selectively enforce them. I was once told by OSHA that I had to have a backup generator to run safety equipment if the power failed, told by the BAAQMD that the generator had to run on propane because diesel did not meet air quality standards, and told by the local fire dept that I could not use propane because the site was too close to power lines. One year and thousands of dollars later, the BAAQMD finally backed down and allowed me to put in a diesel generator. All the while diesel trucks are running all over the Bay Area. My generator would only run if the power failed - maximum of a few hours per year. These folks do not care about the environment, they only care about perpetuating their useless, non-producing jobs at the expense of anyone who wants to actually produce goods and services. Why should someone who wants to produce something require the permission of, and pay fees to, someone who has never produced anything? We need to throw Sacramento and Washington DC under the bus so we can restore our economy and our jobs.
Chemist

Posted by pleasanton neighbor
a resident of Amador Estates
on Sep 26, 2012 at 5:28 pm

Well for anyone who has a business in California you understand the high cost of doing here. For those of you that don't well, listen up to what these people are telling you.

To go blaming Jerry Brown or Romney or Obama doesn't explain things nor does it solve anything. You are just sounding off. But sounding off doesn't fix it. It is Congress that we must rely on or impress. And they do have big lobbyists, and unions that get more ear time then we could ever dream of.

Posted by GasXpress
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 5:29 pm

Tell ya what. Eliminate all taxes on corporations; tax the little people instead. Eliminate all regulations for Cal corporations; they only cut into corps ability to further gouge the public. Let corps come in and pollute all they want; since they're job creating heroes, they deserve to be able to do what they want. Oh, and lets decertify all unions, because it's not fair that union workers make a fair living wage when poor little persons like Comcast are forced -- FORCED, I tell you -- to leave the state. Gosh, I'm starting to sound like the Mittster!

Posted by To: Chemist
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 26, 2012 at 5:55 pm

Chemist, one of the best posts I've seen. I think you sum up the issues regarding California regulatory agencies and bureaucracy very nicely.

"It is not only taxes that are driving businesses out of California: so also are the thousands of pages of regulations and the hundreds of useless boards and agencies that selectively enforce them. I was once told by OSHA that I had to have a backup generator to run safety equipment if the power failed, told by the BAAQMD that the generator had to run on propane because diesel did not meet air quality standards, and told by the local fire dept that I could not use propane because the site was too close to power lines. One year and thousands of dollars later, the BAAQMD finally backed down and allowed me to put in a diesel generator. All the while diesel trucks are running all over the Bay Area. My generator would only run if the power failed - maximum of a few hours per year. These folks do not care about the environment, they only care about perpetuating their useless, non-producing jobs at the expense of anyone who wants to actually produce goods and services. Why should someone who wants to produce something require the permission of, and pay fees to, someone who has never produced anything? We need to throw Sacramento and Washington DC under the bus so we can restore our economy and our jobs.

Chemist"

And on top of ALL that California's corporate tax rate is amongst the highest in the nation. What Comcast is doing isn't the beginning of a trend. The decision by Comcast is the extension of a trend that has been gaining momentum for several years. California is failing and increased taxes are the equivalent of applying a band-aid when a tourniquet is required to stop the bleeding. Our off the books debt is off the charts.

Posted by Stacey
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Sep 26, 2012 at 8:40 pmStacey is a registered user.

Chemist,

Thank you for your post. Regulatory compliance costs can indeed be high or even irrational here. I can't say much about the actions of BAAQMD. Diesel backup generators are used extensively by other companies around here. I bet the local hospitals use them too. Does BAAQMD harass them too?

Posted by Hilarious...
a resident of Downtown
on Sep 26, 2012 at 8:46 pm

GasXpress ... All I hear is poor me ... everyone is out to screw me except the govt and the unions... not one time do I hear it's my responsibility to take care of my life and family in the greatest country on earth... you've got what you voted for ... enjoy ... It's Hilarious

Posted by UMMM
a resident of another community
on Sep 26, 2012 at 9:03 pm

Thank you for your post. Regulatory compliance costs can indeed be high or even irrational here. I can't say much about the actions of BAAQMD. Diesel backup generators are used extensively by other companies around here. I bet the local hospitals use them too. Does BAAQMD harass them too?

What does that matter. Isn't the point of the post that one regulatory agency has no idea what the others are doing: increasing the cost, time, and frustration of companies trying to produce something right in California? I think Chemist even says, "It is not only taxes that are driving businesses out of California: so also are the thousands of pages of regulations and the hundreds of useless boards and agencies that selectively enforce them."

Why do we have so many useless commissions, agencies, and Boards in California anyway? I think that's another category where we're number 1. Let's start cutting right there until we reach the 25 (the 50th percentile). As far as I can tell most of these boards, agencies, and commissions are nothing more than ways for former politicians to earn more salary & benefits while looking for something to do.

Posted by UMMM
a resident of another community
on Sep 26, 2012 at 9:07 pm

Should have read:

Stacey wrote: "Thank you for your post. Regulatory compliance costs can indeed be high or even irrational here. I can't say much about the actions of BAAQMD. Diesel backup generators are used extensively by other companies around here. I bet the local hospitals use them too. Does BAAQMD harass them too?"

What does that matter. Isn't the point of the post that one regulatory agency has no idea what the others are doing: increasing the cost, time, and frustration of companies trying to produce something right here in California? I think Chemist even says, "It is not only taxes that are driving businesses out of California: so also are the thousands of pages of regulations and the hundreds of useless boards and agencies that selectively enforce them."

Why do we have so many useless commissions, agencies, and Boards in California anyway? I think that's another category where we're number 1. Let's start cutting right there until we reach 25th place (the 50th percentile). As far as I can tell most of these boards, agencies, and commissions are nothing more than ways for former politicians to earn more salary & benefits while looking for something to do.

What do you mean I'm against Romney because he's Mormon? Heck, I wear the magic happy underpants too!

I'm not voting for him because his party seems to have no place for someone like me who received aid for dependent children back when I was alone with first child and without a job. After a few months I gained employment as a hostess at a men's club, which is where I then met my hubby, who is a very successful gentlemen (and Republican) who owns 4 very classy gentlemen's clubs and a plethora of massage parlors.

If you think people aren't voting for your guy because he's a Mormon, well then you really haven't been following the mainstream news like Fox.

I personally think your party stinks. It's founded on nothing but hatred. Women, gays, union members, unemployed, ethnic minorities, poor people, kids who through no fault of their own depend on govt'l assistence, bookstore owners, readers, and other elitists, teachers, people who depend on govt'l assistance like oldsters and combat soldiers, and you know just about anyone else who doesn't belong to the top 1%. Thankfully, my husband and I belong to the top 1% because of his wise investments in exotic dancers and nice looking women with nimble fingers.

That was so funny I forgot to laugh. Maybe it's because I don't get it. Or maybe it just isn't funny. Private joke maybe in which one's repressed hatred toward women slips out in an inappropriate way? At any rate, not so Hilarious, at all.

p.s. I said the message parlor employees had nimble fingers, not the exotic dancers. Don't worry about them voting for Obama. Most are here illegally. But it makes my Republican hubby a very successful man!

Wow, you just can't seem to read anything clearly even if it's right there before your eyes can you? I never said my hubby-buns was going to vote for Obama. I said only that I was going to vote for him. With a lack of basic reading skills, hilarious, how do you expect to get ANYthing right? (I think maybe we're beginning to get at the core of Hilarious' numerous personal problems here.)

Posted by Hmmmm
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 27, 2012 at 8:07 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

"Campbell Soup Co. is closing two U.S. plants and cutting more than 700 jobs as it looks to trim costs amid declining canned soup consumption.

The world's largest soup maker said Thursday that it will close a plant in Sacramento, Calif., that has about 700 full-time workers. The plant was built in 1947 and is the company's oldest in the country. It also has the highest production costs of Campbell's four major U.S. soup plants."

Production will be shifted to Milwaulkee.

Jerry Brown would do well to focus on making business more attractive here rather than making the whole month of May in honor of the labor movement. Yes, that is what he signed yesterday because apparently a week in April wasn't enough as too many kids might be away for spring break. Heaven help our children.

Posted by hmmm
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 27, 2012 at 8:24 am

Here you go, this is what our esteemed politians have been spending their time on rather than making the state more competitive for business:

Sept 26 2012:

"Gov. Jerry Brown, like the Democratic-controlled California Legislature, wants schoolchildren to learn about labor unions, preferably when they are in school and aren't too busy with other matters.

Brown's office announced today that he has signed legislation replacing Labor History Week with a Labor History Month and moving the observation from the first week of April to May.
Many school districts are on spring break the first week of April, and supporters of the bill said the rest of the month is busy for students because they are preparing for statewide tests."

Posted by GX
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 27, 2012 at 8:28 am

I am a proponent of renewable energy but our state government's stupidity in doing deals like this that essentially rips off California rate payers is insane.

What's crazier is that it is our inept government that is doing it to us. This unholy alliance between big business and big government is one more death knell for this incredibly inept and dysfunctional state.

Remember the cost of energy in CA is also a deterrent an raises the cost of doing business here.

Frank Wolak, an expert in the California electricity market, said the state's renewable energy strategy could boost electricity rates 10 percent to 20 percent, depending on a number of factors. Potentially, consumers' bills could go up by 50 percent.

"What's happening in California is a tragedy, on every front," said Bill Powers, a San Diego-based electrical engineer and power plant consultant to government, nonprofits and developers. "It's a huge waste of money. ... I see a lot of this as just an old-fashioned rip-off."

To John,
You are correct - we did have to run our generator once each week to ensure operation, but it still did not amount to more than a few hours per year. By the way, what was that other regulatory agency that tells us that we have to run the backup generator every week, and makes us fill out forms stating that we have done so??? I really don't think that businesses, or people, in California have to be told by the government how to keep equipment operational, or what lanes we can use on the freeway that we bought with our tax dollars, or whether we can have a happy meal or a large soda every once in a while. What a joke our governments have become because we keep electing liberals - and I put plenty of Republicans into that disgusting liberal category.
Chemist

I totally completely agree that the pathetic incompetent state is coercing an absolutely unimaginably duped public to engage in the most inept, ill-willed kinds of oppressive and repressive behaviors that only redound to the disgusting benefit of the nauseating tendencies of communist liberal Democrats to feather their own utterly totally thoroughly corrupt nests. Just in case you haven't gotten the picture, I really really dislike a lot of people.

Posted by What Democrats Gave You
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 27, 2012 at 9:29 am

A majority of Californians voted for the Democratic Party candidates that gave us this. Come November, they will vote to increase our taxes even more.

The Democrats have blocked the necessary infrastructure (power, roads, water, etc.) to support these jobs. It is therefore necessary for more residents to leave in order to get the population down to the level that existing infrastructure can support.

You can change this if enough of you vote for different politicians, and form lobbying groups to push for our needs. If you donate to politicians, don't give your money directly to them or their parties, but instead give to groups that press for our values. That way the politicians will get the message about what we want them to accomplish should they get elected.

Posted by tishmittens
a resident of another community
on Sep 27, 2012 at 10:57 am

Tish, what is your point in your rants above? Are you defending the status quo? In favor of even more taxes and govt intrusion? So, you things are just fine in this state? Do you smoke pot for medicinal purposes or just so you can block out your surroundings?

Posted by b
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 27, 2012 at 1:09 pm

When your company becomes a has-been, there are two ways to survive: hire better people and become relevant, or cut costs and serve the tailings ailing edge of the market.

Innovative, leading companies flock to California, because that's where the smart people want to live. Dying companies leave the state because they don't care what their customers think of them, and are perfectly happy to hire low-wage losers.

For my part, I fired Comcast long ago. Their products suck and their service sucks. They'll get what they deserve.

Posted by hmmm
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 27, 2012 at 3:24 pm

"Dying companies leave the state because they don't care what their customers think of them, and are perfectly happy to hire low-wage losers"

Like Apple opening their new offices in Texas? Oh, or do you mean the co-founder of Apple applying for Australian citizenship?

I wonder who is the new Apple flocking to CA where the kids are getting such an awesome education now we can't afford classes for college students, small student-teacher ratios for elementary and things like art. I guess rating 48 or 49 out of 50 for education in one of the highest taxed states in the country must be a big turn on for innovative companies with real leaders.

Posted by Comcast hater
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Sep 28, 2012 at 10:00 am

Comcast has plenty of tax loopholes I'm sure. I'm also sure that the City of Livermore offered them and would have continued to offer them further tax incentives to stay here.

Also, please suggest alternatives to Comcast Triple Play for me. I'd love to know who I can switch to when my contract expires with them.

I'm not against business making a profit. I think their reason for leaving CA is a cop out. I think their management sucks and the customer service kinda does too and they should do something about it. Small business is taxed up the ying yang. Big business gets all the breaks.

Posted by b
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 29, 2012 at 7:35 am

The San Francisco commercial and residential real estate markets are red-hot right now, thanks to all the young, innovative companies that are starting and thriving here. BusinessWeek just named SF the best place to live in the US. Young, smart people flock here because it remains a hub of innovative companies and remains an amazing place to live.

Posted by Pleasanton Resident
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 29, 2012 at 8:49 am

Tulsa, Oklahoma and Alvin, Texas don't come to mind when you think of a great place to live, but that's where a few of Dish Network's call centers are located. They are also in Ohio and Colorado to name a few. Comcast is just trying to stay competitive and keep their shareholders content.

Posted by Goodbye California
a resident of another community
on Dec 11, 2012 at 2:18 pm

I am one of many who have decided to pack up and get out of California. I moved back to Cali in March 2012 I did not even finish unpacking, and now I am packing back up again. Crazy high income taxes, crazy high utilities, sales taxes, auto registration fees, gasoline and CRAZY regulations were the reasons I decided that my California dream was turning into a nightmare. oh, and Jerry Moonbeam and the crazy Democratic leadership in this state instills zero confidence. I am looking to start my own business. I would be a FOOL to start a business in this state now. I am going back to Florida for a while to lick my wounds (0 % income tax state) and I will then look into moving to Texas to start my business ( 0 % income tax state)where the business climate is excellent. My daughter goes to college in California, and I already see the liberal progressive brainwashing setting in. I get the feeling that socialism and communism is setting up shop here in this state and the residents are going to keep voting themselves free stuff. they are killing the golden goose that lays the golden eggs. Businesses and tax paying working people are getting the hint. I am leaving while there is still someone foolish enough around to buy my house. Goodbye California. There are many many more just like me. You will see.